WEBVTT - What makes NASCAR engines different from other engines?

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com where smart happens. Hi'm Marshall Brain

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<v Speaker 1>with today's question. What makes Nascar engines different from street

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<v Speaker 1>car engines. It's pretty obvious that Nascar engines and street

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<v Speaker 1>car engines are different. For example, a typical Nascar engine

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<v Speaker 1>has something like seven horsepower, and you just don't normally

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<v Speaker 1>see that in a street car engine. But the fact

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<v Speaker 1>is that at the bottom, you know, at the very beginning,

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<v Speaker 1>these two types of engines start out in a very

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<v Speaker 1>similar way. A team starts building a Nascar engine with

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<v Speaker 1>a block and a cylinder head that's remarkably similar to

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<v Speaker 1>a street version of the same thing. For example, if

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<v Speaker 1>a team is building a Dodge engine, they would start

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<v Speaker 1>out with a block based on a three forty cubic

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<v Speaker 1>inch V eight engine design that was produced in the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixties. The actual engine blocks and heads are not

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<v Speaker 1>made from the original tooling. They're actually custom made race

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<v Speaker 1>engine blocks, But they have some things in common with

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<v Speaker 1>the original engines. For example, they have the same cylinder bore,

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<v Speaker 1>center lines, the same number of cylinders, and the same

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<v Speaker 1>based displacement, And like the original nineteen sixties engines, the

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<v Speaker 1>valves are driven by push rods rather than by overhead camshafts.

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<v Speaker 1>But NASCAR engines do produce seven fifty horsepower, and they

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<v Speaker 1>do that without turbochargers, superchargers, or any particularly exotic components.

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<v Speaker 1>So how do they make all that power? Here are

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<v Speaker 1>some of the things that distinguish a NASCAR engine from

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<v Speaker 1>a regular engine. First, there's the displacement three cubic inches

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<v Speaker 1>or five point eight seven leaders. Not many cars have

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<v Speaker 1>engines this big anymore, but the ones that do usually

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<v Speaker 1>only generate about three hundred horsepower, so there's something else

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<v Speaker 1>besides displacement that's doing it. Second, the NASCAR engines have

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<v Speaker 1>extremely radical cam profiles, which open the intake valves much

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<v Speaker 1>earlier and keep them open longer than a street car

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<v Speaker 1>engine would. This allows more air to be packed into

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<v Speaker 1>the cylinders, especially at high speeds. Third, NASCAR engines use

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<v Speaker 1>massive carburetors that let in huge volumes of air and fuel.

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<v Speaker 1>There are no fuel injectors on these engines. Fourth, they

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<v Speaker 1>have extremely high intensity programmable ignition systems, so the spark

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<v Speaker 1>timing can be customized to provide the most possible power. Five.

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<v Speaker 1>All the subsystems like cooling pumps, oil pumps, steering pumps,

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<v Speaker 1>and alternators are designed to run at sustained high speeds

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<v Speaker 1>and temperatures, so the engine is gonna be able to

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<v Speaker 1>last through the race. Finally, when a NASCAR engine is assembled,

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<v Speaker 1>it's built to very exacting tolerances. The parts of machine

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<v Speaker 1>much more accurately than normal so that everything fits perfectly.

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<v Speaker 1>Cylinders are board to more exacting tolerances than street cars.

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<v Speaker 1>The crank chefts and other rotating parts are balanced. Making

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<v Speaker 1>sure that the parts are as close to their exact

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<v Speaker 1>dimensions as possible helps the engine achieve its maximum potential

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<v Speaker 1>power and also helps reduce wear. If the parts are

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<v Speaker 1>too big or too small, power can be lost due

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<v Speaker 1>to extra friction or pressure leakage through bigger than necessary gaps.

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<v Speaker 1>After the engine is assembled, it runs on a dynamometer

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<v Speaker 1>for thirty minutes to break it in. The engine is

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<v Speaker 1>then inspected, The filters are checked or excess metal filings

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<v Speaker 1>and any other signs of excessive wear. If it passes

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<v Speaker 1>this test, then it goes on the dynamometer for another

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<v Speaker 1>two hours. During this test, the ignition typing is dialed

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<v Speaker 1>in to maximize the power that the engine produces, and

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<v Speaker 1>the engine is cycled through various speed and power ranges.

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<v Speaker 1>After this test, the engine is again disassembled and inspected thoroughly.

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<v Speaker 1>The valve train is pulled and the camshaft and lifters

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<v Speaker 1>are expected. The insides of the cylinders are examined with

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<v Speaker 1>Boris scopes. The cylinders are pressurized and the rate of

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<v Speaker 1>leakdown is measured to see how well the pistons and

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<v Speaker 1>seals hold the pressure. All the lines and hoses are checked.

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<v Speaker 1>Only after all these tests and inspections are finished, is

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<v Speaker 1>the engine ready to go to the races. Ensuring the

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<v Speaker 1>reliability of the engine is critical. Almost any engine failure

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<v Speaker 1>during a race eliminates any chances of winning for moral

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